Collapsible lamp shade



Jan. 16, 1951 R. D. ENRIGHT COLLAPSIBLE LAMP SHADE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 29, 1946 [12 Va 7? for IQoberzf-D 4 zfzfo r12 e g5 R. D. ENRIGHT COLLAPSIBLE LAMP SHADE Jan. 16, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 29, 1946 In my? tor Robe/"12D. frz

rr /zi' Patented Jan. 16, 1951 UNITED STATE .4

OFFICE I Claims.

This invention relates to lamp shades, and particularly to lamp shades wherein a fabric covering is supported upon a frame made from wire or similar material.

In the past there have been attempts to make a lamp shade having a removable cover, but such prior devices were supposedly utilized in order to save space in shipping and packing such lamp shades, and in such devices the cover was supported on what may be termed a collapsible frame in that the elements of the frame made from wire or similar material were adapted to be shifted to a collapsed relationship after the cover of the lamp shade was removed. Under and in accordance with such prior practice however the resulting lamp shade has not been attractive in character, and the primary objection to such prior lamp shades has been that the appearance has differed to a great extent from the conventional appearance that is acceptable in thetrade. One element that has contributed to such objectionable appearance of the collapsible lamp shades of the prior art has been the absence of a lining to conceal major elements of the frame that is made from wire or similar material, and

'it is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to enable a lamp shade to be constructed with a lining as well as an outer fabric cover in such a manner that the frame elements are concealed and yet may be readilytaken apart and removed from the normal relationship with respect to the lining and the outer covering so as to facilitate cleaning or. replacement of the cover. Another and more specific object of the invention is to enable such a lamp shade to be assembled and disassembled without stitching or other time consuming operations of a specialized character.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a lamp shade construction wherein the outer cover and the inner lining are permanently associated with each other so as to form an annular tubular member of fabric, and a related object is to enable the requisite frame members of a lamp shade to be readil installed or removed from such tubular fabric member. Another and more specific object of the present invention is to so form such an annular tubular member that the inner and outer side walls thereof are in effect interchangeable so that a reversible lamp shade cover is afforded.

In the furtherance of the aforesaid objects of the present invention, it is a further object to afford a collapsible frame structure that is adapted to be put in position within the annular tubular fabric covering member through relatively narrow openings or slots formed in such cover, thereby to avoid the necessity of sewing or stitching operations in connection with assembly of the lamp shade. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to afiford connecting joints on certain of the frame elements that are adapted for attachment to other frame elements by manipulation of such elements after they have been put in position within the cover of the lamp shade.

Other and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which, by way of illustraticn, show preferred embodiments and the principles thereof and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying those principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodying the same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes may be made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing from the present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lamp shade embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view illustrating the form of the transverse supporting bars;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view illustrating the manner in which the cover and the internal frame elements of the shade are associated;

Fig. i is a perspective view illustrating the relationship of the frame members and the supporting cross bars;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the preferred form of attachment clip;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of another form of attachment clip;

Fig. '7 is a perspective View of still another form of attachment clip;

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary vertical sectional views illustrating different forms of fabric covers that may be utilized under the present invention;

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating one of the steps in the assembly of the lamp shade; and

Fig. 11 is a fragmentary view taken partially in section and illustrating the manner of connection of the ends of the bottom and top frame members of the shade.

For purposes of disclosure, the invention has been herein illustrated in Figs. 1 to as embodied in a lamp shade 23 having a cover element 2! formed in an annular tubular shape from fabric, as will be evident in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and having an internal supporting frame disposed within and concealed by the covering 2| and col. prising vertical struts 22, top and bottom rings 23 and 2-4 that are in the form of split bands, such top ring 23 being connected by mounting cross bars 25, as will hereinafter be described in greater detail.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the lamp shade 29 is disclosed as having the outer fabric walls thereof of cylindrical or non-tapering form, but whether this cylindrical characteristic or a tapering form is used in the shade, the advantage of reversibility of the cover will in either case be attained, but it will be understood that the other advantageous results of the present invention may be attained apart from the characteristic of reversibility. The fabric cover 2! as illustrated in Fig. 3 is formed from a single piece of fabric, the end edges of which are sewed together along a seam 21, Fig. l, and this forms a single thickness tubular member of fabric which then has one end drawn through the tube so as to place the two end edges of the tube opposite each other. These edges are then joined together b an external seam 28, Fig. 3, thereby to complete the annular tubular member cover 2|. As is shown in a somewhat schematic way in Fig. of the drawings, the seam 28 is interrupted at one or more points so as to afford openings 38 through which the internal elements of the frame may be inserted as will hereinafter be described in greater detail. It might be pointed out at this point that while one such opening 30 might in some instances be considered to be sufficient to allow assembly of the internal elements of the frame, it is necessary to afford one such opening at each point where a cross bar :25 is to be extended into the cover 2|, and such additional openings serve of course to reduce the amount of manipulation and movement that must be imparted to the frame elements after the are put in position within the tubular cover 2 i.

The lower frame member or ring 24; is formed from a material such as wire that is bent to generally circular form to afford what may be termed a split band, and one end of this circular member 2:; has an attachment sleeve 32 fixed thereon as by welding, as will be evident in Figs. 4 and 1G, and in order to put this lower frame member 26- in place, one end of the frame member 2 is threaded through one of the openings so as to pass around through the tubular member 2!, and this operation is shown in a partially completed state in Fig. 10 of the drawings. When the entire length of the member 25 has been inserted within the tubular cover 2 the other open end of the connecting sleeve 32 is brought into alignment with the other end of the member 24, and this end of the member is inserted into the open end of the connecting sleeve 32 so as to thereby form a continuous annular member that affords the desired bottom ring or frame member for the lamp shade. It will be recognized of course that the circular form of the split bands or frame members 23 and 2A is a matter of choice, and where a difierent plan-form is desired in the shade, a correspondingly different shape will be used in the split band members 23 and 24. The upper frame member 23 is similarly formed from wire and has an attachment sleeve 33 fixed on one end thereof. The upper frame member 23 is similarly inserted into the tubular cover 2| and the ends of the frame member are connected together by inserting the other end of the member 23 into the open end of the connecting sleeve 33.

After the top and bottom frame members 23 and '23 have been thus inserted within the tubular fabric cover 2!, the vertical struts 22 are put into position by inserting the same through the slots 39 in the cover, and means are afforded on the opposite ends of the struts '22 for detachably connecting these ends to the respective frame members 23 and 23. Thus as will be evident in Figs. 1 to 5, an attachment clip 35 is provided on each of the ends of each strut 22, and the specific form of such clip 35 is disclosed in Fig. 5 of the drawings. Thus as shown in Fig. 5 the clip 35 is adapted for production by processes of sheet metal stamping, and this clip comprises an anchoring portion 35 of arcuate cross section which its lower end as disclosed in Fig. 5 merges with a hools-shaped end 371. The attaching portion 36 is disposed against the side of the strut 22 near the end thereof and is fixed in this position as by welding. The relationship of the clip 35 as thus secured to the strut 22 is such that the hook portion 33 is disposed opposite the end edge 22 of the strut 22. Thus the ends of the hook portion 3? is so related to the end edge 22' of the strut that the application of a moderate force between the strut E2 and one of the frames 23 or 24 will spring the hook portion 3! in an amount sufficient to allow the frame element 23 or 24 to enter into the space between the hook portion 27 and the end 22 of the strut. A reverse application of such force will of course cause the frame member 22 or 2 1 to be snapped out of this position, thereby to disconnect such frame members. With the clips 35 in place on the struts 22, such struts may be connected to the top and bottom frame members and 2 2 after such elements have been disposed within the tubular fabric cover 2i. Thus after the top and bottom frame members 23 and 1 2c and the struts 22 have been put in place within the tubular fabric cover 2!, these elements may be connected together so as to assume the relationship that is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings wherein the frame is illustrated apart from the fabric cover.

After the top and bottom elements of the frame have been connected by the struts 22 as above described, the cross bars 5 are put into position. These cross bars may take differentforms in accordance with the type of lamp on which the shade is to be utilized, but as herein shown, such cross bars are adapted for supporting the shade either on a reflecting shade of an indirect lamp or on the central finial of a lamp. Thus, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the cross bracing 25 includes a central ring 39 adapted to be disposed about the screw to which the finial of a lamp is connected, and the ring 39 has, in this instance, four outwardly projecting radial arms 48 that are connected to the central ring 39 in a conventional manner. outwardly of the ring 35, the arms 3i? have upwardly bent generally U-shaped positioning portions 4i that are adapted to rest upon the edges of the reflector of an indirect lamp. At the ends of the arm 46, such arms are provided with clips 35 of the character hereinbefore described, and these clips are inserted through the openings 39 so as to enable these clips to be connected to the upper ring or frame member 23 of the shade. Preferably, the

clips '35 are secured to the arms '40 as by welding, and are disposed in such arelation that the openings between the clips and the ends of the arms are disposed upwardly. Through this arrangement, the clips 35 are disposed insuch a way that the weight of the shade tends to hold the upper ring 23 in position within the hook portions of the clips.

Where the tubular fabric cover 2 i is formed from a single piece of material in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3, the covering of the lamp shade may of course be reversed, but such reversal does not gain the advantage of affording a different outer color or pattern in the lamp shade cover. This additional advantage may of course be attained through the use of a cover formed from the two pieces of fabric, and such a cover HA is illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings. In

such cover ZIA, two pieces of fabric and 45' are joined together at their ends by seams similar to the seam 21 to thereby afford a pair of tubular fabric members. One of these members is then placed inside of the other and the edges at one end thereof are joined together by an internal seam 48. The relationship of the two members 45 and 46 is then reversed and the opposite edges are joined together by an external seam 49. The seam 49 is interrupted to form slots similar to the slots 30 at points that correspond to the 10- cations, at which the ends of the arms 40 must enter into the interior of the annular tubular fabric member 21A. The various frame elements may then be assembled in the manner hereinabove described with respect to Fig. 1, it being noted that at the points where the ends of the arms 4!! enter the slots in the cover, the inner fabric member 45 or 46 which is serving as the lining will be distorted downwardly so as to accommodatethe arm 49. With the lamp shade cover 2lA formed as illustrated in Fig. 8 of the drawings, the cover 2 lA may be removed for cleaning purposes by dismantling and removing the metallic frame elements, or the shade may be reversed so as to reverse the relationship of the fabric elements 45 and 45 thereby to afford a different color or pattern as the outer cover of the lamp shade.

A different form of reversible cover 2 IB is illus trated in Fig. 9 of the drawings and in this cover 213, two sections of fabric @513 and 46B of a different color or pattern are joined together by sewing. Thus these two fabric pieces 45B and 45B each have their ends joined by seams similar to the seam 21 of Fig. 1, thereby to form two independent cylindrical fabric pieces. With these two pieces disposed in an inside-out relationship, one within the other, the end edges thereof at one end are joined together by a seam 59 that is interrupted at suitable points to afford slots similar to the slots 3%]. Spaced from the seam 50,

another seam 5| is formed, thereby to form apassage 52 between the two seams and 54 into which one of the frame members 23 or 24 may be inserted as will hereinafter be described. The two pieces of fabric 453 and 45B are then reversed, and the opposite end edges are sewn together close to the edge thereof by a seam 53. This seam 53 is then folded inwardly, and an external seam 54 is formed so as to define a passage 55 between the seams 53 and 54. The seam 54 and the seam 53 are both interrupted at points which correspond with the number of arms 45 and struts 22. The cover 2IB that is thus afforded is adapted for reversal in the same manner as the cover 2 IA, and the frame elements are inserted into position in substantially the same way. However, in the cover'2 IB, the top and bottom frame members 23 and 25 are inserted re" spectivel-yinto the passages 55 and 52.

.In Fig. 6 of .the drawings a different form of attachment clip is illustrated, and this clip is identified as clip 35A. In this embodiment, the attaching portion comprises a split collar 35A that is adapted to substantially encircle the end of the strut .22 or arm 40 with which it is to be associated, and the clip 35A may be secured to such :a strut 22 or arm A!) as by welding.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings a clip 35B is illustratedthatis substantially similar inform to the clip 35A in that a split collar 35B is provided to encircle the end of a frame member such as a strut 22B that is shown in Fig. 7. In this embodiment of the clip, however, an indented por tion 51 .is provided on the sleeve portion 353 of the clip in such a relation that it will enter a recess .53 formed in the frame element 22B as shown in Fig. '7. The elements 5'? and 53 are so formed that when these elements are engaged, the clip 353 will be in the proper endwise relation on the frame element 223.

The connecting sleeves 32 and 33 may of course be arranged to frictionally engage the end of the annular frame element that is inserted into the open .end of such a sleeve, but if desired, an internal projection 50 may be provided in either of these sleeves '32 or 33, as illustrated in Fig. 11 of the drawings. Such a projection is adapted to engage a complementary recess 62 formed in the frame element such as the frame element that is illustrated in Fig. 1-1, and to enable the sleeve 3-2 to expand as the coupling operation is performed, the sleeve .32 may be splitlongitudinally so as to take the form of a split tube.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the present invention enables the cover of a lamp shade to be readily removed for cleaning, reversal or replacement, and under and in accordance with the present invention, this advantage is a tained in a lamp shade that has a lining to conceal the metallic elements of the frame. It will be evident that the elements of the frame may be readily put in place or removed from their operative positions within the fabric cover of the shade, and hence the customer may readily clean, reverse, or replace the cover without stitching or other complicated operations.

Thus, while I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these are capable of variation and modification and I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth, but desire to avail myself of such. changes and alterations which fall within the purview of the following; claims:

I claim;

1. In a lamp shade, bottom and top frames made from wire or like material and each comprisinga split band of the plan form desired in the shade, means on each such band detachably joining the ends thereof, a preformed annular tubular fabric covering member having a plurality of similarly disposed openings therein at equally spaced points, said top and bottom frames being disposed within said annular tubular member, struts disposed within said annular tubular member adjacent to said openings and having snap fastening clips at their opposite ends releasably engaged with the respective top and bottom frames to hold the same in spaced relation to thereby tension said covering member, and supporting cross bracing comprising a plurality of radially related arms extended at their ends through the respective openings in said covering member and having snap fastening clips on said ends detachably engaged with said upper frame within said covering.

2. In a lamp shade, an annular tubular fabric covering member comprising a pair of annular fabric pieces joined by seams along their upper and lower edges, said seams being interrupted to afford a plurality of similarly disposed openings therein along each of said seams at equally spaced points, top and bottom frames disposed within said annular tubular member and each comprising a split band of the plan form desired in the means on each such band for detachably joining the ends thereof, struts disposed within annular tubular member adjacent to said openings and having means at their opposite ends relcasably engaged with the respective top and bottom frames to hold the same in spaced relation to thereby tension said covering member, and supporting cross bracing comprising a plurality of radially related arms extended at their ends through the respective openings in said covering member and having means on said ends detachably engaged with said up -er frame within said covering.

e. In a lamp shade, an annular tubular fabric covering member comprising a pair of annular fabric pieces having the opposite end edges thereturned inwardly and joined by spaced seams to define internal fabric tubes confined Within the upper and lower edges of the fabric covering, said being interrupted to afford a plurality of similarly disposed openings therein along each of said seams at equally spaced points, top and bottom frames disposed within said internal fabric tubes and each comprising a split band of the plan form desired in the shade, means on each such band for detachably joining the ends thereof, struts disposed within said annular tubular member adjacent to said openings and extended through the openings afforded in said tubes and having means at their opposite ends releasably engaged with the respective top and bottom frames within the respective tubes to hold the same in spaced relation to thereby tension said covering member, and supporting cross bracing comprising a plurality of radially related arms extended at their ends through certain of such openings into said tubes and having means on said ends detachably engaged with said upper frame wit in said tubes.

sin a lamp shade, bottom and top frames made from wire or like material and each comprisin a split band of a plan form desired in the shade, means on each such band for detachably joining the ends thereof, an annular tubular fabric covering member made from two pieces of fabric of different characteristics so as to be of generally cylindrical form with the two pieces of fabric disposed respectively as the inner and outer sides thereof, the opposite ends of said cylindrical fabric members each having a plurality of similarly disposed openings therein at equally spaced points so that said member is reversible in its structural characteristics to enable either of said pieces of fabric to be disposed as the outer face of the cover member, said top and bottom frames being disposed within said annular tubular member, struts disposed within said annular tubular member adjacent to said openings and having means at their opposite ends and releasably engaged with the respective top and bottom frames to hold the same in spaced relation to thereby tension said covering member} and supporting cross bracing comprising a plurality of radially related arms extended at their ends through the respective openings in said covering member and having means on said ends detachably engaged with said upper frame within said covering.

5. In a pre-formed lamp shade cover, an annular tubular fabric covering member comprising a pair of annular fabric pieces having the opposite edges thereof turned inwardly and joined by spaced seams to define internal fabric tubes about and concealed within said covering at the upper and lower edges thereof, said seams being interrupted to afford a plurality of similarly disposed openings therein along each of said seams at equally spaced points.

ROBERT D. ENRIGHT.

REFERENCES CETED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA IE NTS Number Name Date 1,319,092 Kaufman Oct. 21, 1919 1,404,663 Smith Jan. 24, 1922 1,675,514 Patterson July 3, 1923 1,727,859 Caldwell Sept. 10, 1929 1,989,384 Sher Jan. 29, 1935 2,037,941 Stadler Apr. 21, 1936 2,252,582 Schwarz Aug. 12, 1941 2,362,266 Sher Nov. 17, 1942 2,341,942 Nadler Feb. 15, 1944 2,392,324 Krebeck Jan. 8, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 526,980 France July 5, 1921 16,839 Great Britain Aug. 19, 1910 of 1909 12,413 Great Britain June 9, 1908 

